Breast buffer for shoe heels



Jul 7, 1936. 4 AURET 2,046,519

BREAST BUFFER FOR SHOE HEELS Filed Aug. 13, 1955 c tor/" Patented July 7, 1936 ?ATENT OFFICE BREAST BUFFER FOR SHOE HEELS Piacentino Lauretti, Carlisl'e; Pa., assignor to Charles A. Wardecker, Garlisle, Pat

Applicatien August 13, 1935, Serial No. 36,018

8 Claims.

This invention relates: to the class of buiiing or abrading. tools and pertains particularly to a tool of this kind which is designed particularly for use in buffing the breasts of shoe heels.

The primary object of the present invention is toprovide an improved formof breast buffer for shoe heels in which a novel means is employed for resiliently or yieldingly maintaining a cylinder of buffing material such as emery paper or ldiothe like, in proper form for carryingout the bufiing operation, through the centrifugal action of the rotating shaft or mandrel on which the cylinder is mounted.

Another object of the invention is to provide 15": T a novel means of forming such cylinders of buffing material so-that a free end of the cylinder may be employed for bufiing: in an angle between the breast of a heel and the shoe sole without bringing into contact therewith any hard or unyielding 21). portions of the cylinder as is the case in cylinders of the type at present in use where overlapped ends are secured together so that aportion of the circumferential area is relatively stiff. and unyielding as compared with the remaining, portion 2 of the cylinder.

A- stillfurther object of the invention is to provide a shoe heel breast buiilng tool employing a cylinder of bufiingmaterial, having means for maintaining an outwardly directed but yielding pressure upon the interior of the cylinder consisting of longitudinally extending freely movable fingers which exert the saidoutwardly directed pressure through. centrifugal. action A still. further object of the inventionis to pro- 35 vide a cylindrical. burfing tool in whichia novel centrifugally actuated means: is employed for holding a bufiing cylinder or shellupon a supporting mandrel, the; holding action being in.- creased in intensity as the rotary speed of, the

mandrel increases.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the. following detailed. description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part ofthi'sspecificati'on, with theunderstanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long. as such changes or modifications 59v mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as'expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing: i

" Figure l. is a-view inside elevation. of a buffer 5 cylinder constructedin..accordancewith the pres.-

ent invention, portions of the same being in section;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of an improved modification of the tool illustrated in Fig.- ure 1, with portions shown in section; 5

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a View in side elevation of the mandrel showing the arms expanded in the guard ring;

Figure 5' is a view in perspective of a portion of the preformed abrading cylinder.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, Figure I illustrates a form of the present invention which is shown in my prior Patent No. 1001949,. of July 9, 1935, which constitutes a portion of the subject-matter of the present application. The invention as illustrated in this figur'e comprises a shaft or mandrel I having a head portion 2 at one end from which extends the threaded stud 3 by means ofwhich the mandrel is secured to a suitable supporting shaft of the type illustrated in the prior patent above referred' to, so that the mandrel may be rotated at a high rate of. speed. This mandrel is provided with a longitudinally extending slot i and it extends into one end of a sleeve body 5 which preferably has one end adjacent to or in abutting relation with the head 2 at the end of the mandrel. The sleeve is provided with a longitudinal slot 6 which alines with the slot 4 for the purpose hereinafter described. This sleeve 5 may be of any suitable resilient material such as leather, felt, rubber or the. like, and it is of greater length than the mandrel and has the end which proj'ects beyond that end of the mandrel opposite the head 2, longitudinally slit to form the plurality of longitudinally extending fingers I' which, as shown, project beyond the free end of the mandrel l. 40

A sheet of bufiingor abrading material such as emery cloth or the like is placed about the sleeve 5 to iormv the bufiing cylinder 8 and this is held in place by inserting one edge of the sheet in the alined slots i and 6 and then after wrapping the sheet about the sleeve, a suitable holding means such as a rubber band or the-like is placed thereabout to maintain. it in its cylindrical. form. As shown, the bufiing cylinder 8 extends slightly beyond. the free ends of the fingers T and it will be apparent that when the mandrel I is rotated at a high rate of speed, the fingers I will tend, through centrifugal force, to move outwardly and will,v therefore, constantly exert pressure outwardly against the inner surface of the abrading or bufiing cylinder 8. By forming these centrifugally actuated holding fingers for the yielding bufiing cylinder, to extend longitudinally of the cylinder, when the side of the cylinder is laid in the angle between the breast of the heel and the sole or in the concave face of the heel breast, the buffing cylinder will be deformed to conform its outer surface with the curvature of the breast of the heel against which it lies and thus may be used to buff surfaces which could not be reached by other types of yieldable buffer cylinders.

In Figures 2 to 5, an improved modification of the form of buffer illustrated in Figure 1, is shown. In this form the mandrel or shaft is indicated by the numeral 9 and has at its inner end the threaded'stud IE] by which it is fixed to the end of a rotatable supporting shaft. This mandrel is cut away along parallel planes extending longitudinally from the inner end where the supporting stud is formed, to points intermediate its ends forming the oppositely facing flat walls ll. At the inner ends of these walls, or at substantially the transverse center of the mandrel, knuckles l 2 are formed through which pivot pins l3 pass which maintain pivotally attached to the mandrel the ends of arms Hi which have their outer sides of transversely arcuate configuration whereby when they are swung inwardly into abutting relation with the walls it, they will coactwith the main body portion of the mandrel to complete its cylindrical form throughout its length.

Adapted to be slipped over the mandrel 9 is a ring I5 which has a suitable means such as a set screw I6, for engagement with the mandrel to maintain it in fixed position thereon. The mandrel 9 is provided with one or two longitudinally extending grooves l l on diametrically opposite lines which start at the outer end or that end opposite from the screw stud iii and terminate short of the inner. end. The set screw I6 is adapted to engage in the inner end of one of these grooves i! so that the ring will be held against rotary movement on the mandrel. This ring, in addition to the central opening through which the mandrel extends, has the opposite reces'ses i8 leading from the said central opening and when the screw I6 is engaged in one of the grooves ll, these recesses l8 will lie in a position to receive the arms i4 when the same are swung outwardly away from the walls I l. The ring thus operates as a means for limiting the outward swinging movement of the arms I4 during the rotation of the mandrel and it also acts as a guard to prevent aworker being'struck by one of these arms.

The ring [5 has still another function and that is to serve as a limiting means or stop for the sleeve I9 of yieldable material which is similar to thesleeve 5 referred to in connection with the formof the invention illustrated in Figure 1. This sleeve has at its inner end the integral ringlike shoulder 26 and from the shoulder to'the opposite end, it is split as indicated at 2|, and this splitior opening is disposed in alinement with one of the grooves ll when the sleeve is in position on the mandrel. The'end of the sleeve opposite the shoulder 20 is provided with a series of longitudinal slits22 by which is formed the 10111- rality of longitudinally extending terminal fingers 23 which project beyond the end of the mandrel, as illustrated inFigureVZ, in the assembled structure. p

'The abrading cylinder formed of emery cloth or any other suitable abrasive or buffing material is indicated by the numeral 24. This cylinder receives the resilient sleeve I9 and has one end in abutting relation with the shoulder 20 thereof while its other end projects slightly beyond the free ends of the fingers 23 as in the 5 case of the structure shown in Figure 1.. This cylinder '24 is preferably preformed, having a portion of each of two edges turned inwardly and glued or cemented together to form the relatively rigid inwardly extending rib 25. This preforming 10 of the abrasive cylinder constitutes another novel feature of the present invention for the reason that it permits of the more ready removaland replacement of the abrasive material than in the present case where the sheet of material must 15 have one edge placed in a receiving groove and then be bent into shape around the mandrel and secured by some form of securing means. With the present invention, the preformed cylinder is merely slipped over the fingered outer end of the body l9 and moved longitudinally thereon until one end abuts the shoulder 20. The formation of the end of the resilient body IS in the manner illustrated also facilitates this insertion of the body into the abrasive cylinder 24 as the fingers 25 may be squeezed inwardly to reduce the end diameter of the supporting body and thus expedite the assembling of the parts.

It will be apparent, of course, that in applying the abrasive cylinder 24, the preformed inwardly 30 projecting rib 25 locates in the slot 2| of the body 19 and also in one'of the grooves 11 with which the slot is alined. The abrasive cylinder is thus securely held against rotary movement on the resilient holding body. r

The action of the fingers 23 has been described in connection with the description of Figure 1. In addition, when the tool structure illustrated in Figure 2 is'being rapidly rotated, the arms i l will tend to swing outwardly through centrifugal action and have the effect of stretching the inner end of the resilient or yielding sleeve 19 so as to more firmly frictionally restrain the same against any tendency to movement either about the mandrel or longitudinally thereon.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that with the present abrading tool, the buffing of the breasts of shoe heels may be more readily and neatly effected than with the types of buffers at present employed due to the conforming action of the abrasive cylinder under the urge of the centrifugally actuated longitudinalfingers and the changing of the buffing cylinders may be more quickly carried out by reason of the preforming of the same in the manner described. 55

A further advantage derived from the preforming of the bufling or abrading cylinder in the manner set forth is that the outer curvature-of'the cylinder at the end adjacent the fingers 23 may break or bend to the same degree at any point so that it will fit accurately in any angle under the urge of the fingers 23 whereas in cylinders of the character at present employed, the ends arenot joined by being turned inwardly ,as illustrated in the present case but are overlapped and glued or otherwise secured together so that there is thus formed an area which extends throughoutthe length of the cylinder and of substantial width circumferentially thereof, which is relatively hard and stiff and resists the bending or flexing which may be effected throughout the other part of the cylinder.

What is claimed is: V 7 l 1. In a buifing tool of the character described, a mandrel adapted to be-mounted at one end for rotation on its longitudinal axis, a sleeve of yieldable material encircling the mandrel and extending beyond the other end thereof, an abrasive cylinder of yieldable form encircling said sleeve and the extended end of the latter, and means carried by the said extended end of the sleeve for exerting outward pressure against the interior of the cylinder through centrifugal action.

2. In a bufilng tool of the character described, a mandrel adapted to be mounted at one end for rotation on its longitudinal axis, a sleeve of yieldable material encircling the mandrel and extending beyond the other end thereof, an abrasive cylinder of yieldable form encircling said sleeve and the extended end of the latter, and a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers formed at the said extended end of the sleeve which are free at one end and tend to move outwardly through centrifugal action during the rotation of the mandrel against the inner surface of the cylinder.

3. A bufiing tool, comprising a split cylindrical core adapted to be rotated on its longitudinal axis, and a longitudinally split sleeve of flexible material surrounding and. fitting the core and adapted to support a cylinder of abrasive material thereon, the sleeve at one end being formed to provide flexible longitudinally extending fingers adapted to be disposed within the cylinder adjacent one end thereof.

4. A buffing tool of the character described, comprising an elongated member constituting a mandrel having means at one end for attaching it to a rotary drive element, a resilient sleeve encircling the mandrel and extending from the other end thereof, a cylinder of abrasive material surrounding said sleeve, and centrifugally actuated means carried by the mandrel for increasing the frictional engagement of the sleeve with the mandrel with increased rotation of the mandrel.

,5. In a buffing tool, an elongated mandrel having means at one end for attaching it to a rotary carrier whereby the mandrel is rotated on its longitudinal axis, a sleeve surrounding said mandrel and extending from the end of the same opposite the attaching means, said sleeve having its extended end formed to provide a plurality of fingers adapted upon rotation of the sleeve to move outwardly through centrifugal force, a cylinder of abrasive material of the nature of emery cloth encircling the sleeve and the fingers, and means connected with the cylinder and extending inwardly therefrom through a slot in the sleeve for maintaining the cylinder against rotary movement on the sleeve.

6. In a bufiing tool, an elongated mandrel having means at one end for attaching it to a rotary carrier whereby the mandrel is rotated on its longitudinal axis, a sleeve surrounding said mandrel and extending from the end of the same opposite the attaching means, said sleeve having its extended end formed to provide a plurality of fingers adapted upon rotation of the sleeve to move outwardly through centrifugal force, a cylinder of abrasive material of the nature of emery cloth encircling the sleeve and the fingers, means connected with the cylinder and extending inwardly therefrom through a slot in the sleeve for maintaining the cylinder against rotary movement on the sleeve, and centrifugally shiftable elements carried by the mandrel and each having a portion lying within the sleeve by which the frictional engagement of the sleeve with the mandrel is increased as the rotary speed of the mandrel increases.

7. A bufiing tool of the character described, comprising an elongated mandrel, means at one end for attaching the mandrel to a rotary element whereby the mandrel is rotated on its longitudinal axis, a pair of arms each pivotally attached at one end to the mandrel and lying within a cut out area in the side thereof, the other end of each arm lying adjacent the said end of the mandrel, said arms being adapted to swing outwardly through centrifugal force during rotation of the mandrel, a sleeve encircling the mandrel and extending over said arms, and a cylinder of abrasive material encircling the sleeve, said arms in their tendency to move outwardly through centrifugal action operating to increase the frictional engagement of the sleeve with the mandrel.

8. A buffing tool of the character described, comprising an elongated mandrel, means at one end for attaching the mandrel to a rotary element whereby the mandrel is rotated on its longitudinal axis, a pair of arms each pivotally attached at one end to the mandrel and lying within a cut out area in the side thereof, the other end of each arm lying adjacent the said end of the mandrel, said arms being adapted to swing outwardly through centrifugal force during rotation of the mandrel, a sleeve encircling the mandrel and extending over said arms, a cylinder of abrasive material encircling the sleeve, said arms in their tendency to move outwardly through centrifugal action operating to increase the frictional engagement of the sleeve with the mandrel, and a collar encircling the mandrel and the arms and having diametrically opposite radial recesses into which said arms are adapted to move.

PIACENTINO LAURETTI. 

